The Victory Day is being celebrated through various programmes across Bangladesh and paying homage to the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the country during the Liberation War.
On this glorious day in 1971, Bangladesh was liberated with the Pakistani occupation forces surrendering after a nine-month-long brutal war.
Along with the government, socio-political, educational and cultural institutions and organizations have chalked out a series of programmes to celebrate the day. The day is being celebrated at home and abroad.
The day’s programme began with a 31-gun salute.
President Mohammed Shahabuddin and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina paid tributes to the martyrs of the Liberation War by placing wreaths at the National Memorial in Savar early in the morning with the rising sun.
They were followed by freedom fighters and their family members, leaders of Awami League and different political and social organizations and people from all walks of life.
Later, foreign diplomats, leaders of several organisations and people from all walks of life placed wreaths to pay homage to the martyrs.
The national flag is hoisted atop government, semi-government, autonomous and private offices across the country.
All children’s parks and museums will be open to the public without tickets and cinema halls will screen films based on the Liberation War for free.
Documentary films will be screened and posters will be on display on the history of Liberation War at Suhrawardy Udyan.
Bangladesh missions abroad have undertaken similar programmes highlighting the significance of the day.
The day is a public holiday. National dailies have brought out special supplements on the occasion.
State-owned and private television channels and radios will broadcast special programmes highlighting the significance of the Liberation War.
Receptions will be accorded to freedom fighters and family members of martyrs at city, district and upazila levels.
Underprivileged children will be allowed to visit the children’s park in the capital on the day free of cost.
Good food will be served in jails, hospitals, orphanages across the country.
Prime minister Sheikh Hasina has issued a message on the occasion.
In her message, the prime minister said that the establishment of the nation-state Bangladesh through the victory of the Liberation War on December 16, 1971 was the greatest achievement of the Bangalee nation.
Responding to the clarion call of the Greatest Bengali of all time, the country’s founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the nation achieved the ultimate victory on this day in 1971 after years of intense political struggle and nine months of brutal war, said the PM.
She said, ‘Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib elevated Bangladesh to a least developed country, and we took the motherland to the row of developing states on the auspicious occasion of ‘Mujib Year’ and the golden jubilee of our victory.’
She also hoped that this trend of development will continue, Bangladesh will be established as a hunger- and poverty-free and developed, prosperous country by 2041 as dreamt by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
She urged all to spread the spirit of the great Liberation War from generation to generation — ‘Let this be our pledge on this Victory Day.’
